Finally, I’ve begun packing, and it’s not near the chore it appeared to be.  The most difficult part is finding a space for everything, including Christmas presents brought back from Arkansas over the holidays, and things we acquired while down here in the Rio Grande Valley.  Kay and I spent a portion of this morning packing the outdoor chairs and tables back into the motorhome, taking down the outdoor lights and packing them away, unhooking the grill and portable propane tank and stowing them, and rearranging a few other compartments.

We completely forgot about card bingo tonight, and only noticed it as we drove back into the resort from Cracker Barrel where we enjoyed regular food and Southern-style VEGETABLES.

We are definitely winding down, readying for our Tuesday morning departure.

Seems like it was Christmas just yesterday, and now it is March 1; where has the time gone?

We are trying to get in a few remaining activities and spend time with resort neighbors before departing early next week.  Today, after a slow morning, we met at Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen in Pharr, Texas, for lunch with Wayne, Bessie, Al, Sharon, Chuck, and Sue.  The seafood at Pappadeaux is really good, and has a significant Louisiana influence.

We left Pappadeaux and drove to Costco for an item or two, and then back to the resort for pool and spa time.

It appears that all we did today was eat, or at least be where there was food.  This evening we joined a couple of dozen friends for ribs at a local barbecue joint considered a favorite of Winter Texans.  Kay and I shared a plate, and after living in Memphis and Little Rock, and even our own KT’s Smokehouse BBQ and Catering (about the best ribs anywhere), and eaten real pork ribs, we were not impressed.  But, as they say, we’ve now been there and done that.

There was no entertainment tonight—it’s all over for the season—allowing us to spend a quiet Friday evening at “home”.

Here are some photos from our resort barbeque and dance last Saturday.  These were taken by various people and are from them or Facebook.

It’s Thursday—that means it’s birding day. I rode with neighbor Lorna to Santa Ana NWR, our last birding trip of the year, and perhaps for all times since Jerry and Karen Smith have bought a winter place here in the Valley.

It was an interesting commute; just outside the entrance to BPVRV Resort . We were met with a speeding Border Patrol vehicle, which turned around and passed us as if we were sitting still. With lights flashing, another 11 city, county, state, and Border Patrol enforcement agents passed us; we never discovered the reason. As we neared Santa Ana NWR, we saw eight illegal aliens leave a cornfield and jump into the Tahoe, which then sped away. It was definitely an orchestrated event, as we suspect are most illegal entrances into the US in this area. Quite interesting!

There were 24 birders this morning (Jim & Ruth Alexander, Marie Burke, Elton & Donna Combs, Donald Dunn, Dottie Farrer, Lou & Jan Frase, Aileen Garvin, Lorna Graham, John & Romola Laninga, John & Donna MacNeil, Dave & Marcia Marsh, Ernie & Karen Martelle, Steve & Suzette Mazur, Pat Riek, Jerry & Karen Smith), and before we began, Lorna presented Jerry and Karen with a thank you card and $200 in cash as a token of our appreciation. Truth be known, it’s much too little for the time and expenses they incur, but for them it is a labor of love. We had a great day today, ending with 71 species. 

We did karaoke tonight at the palapa, and it was fun.

Just for fun I’m including a list of the birds we identified today.

Ducks & Geese:   Fulvous Whistling-Duck, Gadwall, American Wigeon, Mottled Duck, Blue-winged Teal, Cinnamon Teal, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Bufflehead, Ruddy Duck

Chachalacas: Plain Chachalaca

Grebes: Least Grebe, Pied-billed Grebe

Cormorants: Neotropic Cormorant, Double-crested Cormorant

Herons, Egrets & Ibises: Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, White-faced Ibis

New World Vultures: Turkey Vulture

Kites, Eagles, Hawks & Falcons: Northern Harrier, Harris’s Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Crested Caracara, American Kestrel

Rails, Coots & Allies: Common Gallinule, American Coot

Plovers, Sandpipers & Phalaropes: Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs

Mockingbirds: Northern Mockingbird

Starlings: European Starling

Wood-Warblers: Orange-crowned Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, (Myrtle) Common Yellowthroat

Sparrows: Olive Sparrow, Lincoln’s Sparrow

Cardinals:   Northern Cardinal

Blackbirds & Allies: Red-winged Blackbird, Great-tailed Grackle

Old World Sparrows: House Sparrow

Plovers, Sandpipers & Phalaropes:  Spotted Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Long-billed Dowitcher

Pigeons & Doves: Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove

Owls: Great Horned Owl

Kingfishers: Belted Kingfisher, Green Kingfisher

Woodpeckers: Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Ladder-backed Woodpecker

Tyrant Flycatchers: Eastern Phoebe, Great Kiskidee, Tropical Kingbird

Shrikes:   Loggerhead Shrike

Vireos: White-eyed Vireo

Jays & Crows: Green Jay

Swallows: N. Rough-winged Swallow, Cave Swallow

Titmice: Black-crested Titmouse

Wrens: Carolina Wren, Marsh Wren

Kinglets: Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Gnatcatchers: Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Our pace has once again quickened, as we are trying to get in as many activities as we can here in the Valley.

After completing some household chores, Chuck, Van, and I went on a long bicycle ride, the first along the road runner trail, then to Anzalduas Park, and back to BPVRV Resort, the total distance of about 18 miles. The first 10 miles was easy riding, as the wind was either nonexistent, or blowing at our backs.  The last 8 miles, however, were a struggle, though Van and I pedaled well over 15 miles per hour trying to catch Chuck.  Chuck, at 70 years old, rode us into the ground, and we’ll all pay for it the next day or two. It is truly a joy to ride with these two guys, as the conversation is always pleasant, and our riding ability is about equal.

(Added) Despite the wind, I visited the National Butterfly Center, perhaps for the last time this season, and was rewarded with a few photos of butterflies and a bird or two.  There are different butterflies each time I go there, but with the wind, it was difficult to photograph them as they would flit rather than sit! The first photo is a Giant Swallowtail I’ve been trying to photograph for over a week now, and all I got is the a fleeting glimpse.  The last photo is a Clay-colored Thrush, a member of the Robin family.

In the evening we joined next-door neighbors, Paul and Laura, for dinner at one of their favorite restaurants, Republic of the Rio Grande. This restaurant is a steakhouse, and the food is very, very good. Despite our arguing, Paul bought our dinner as a thank you for my assisting Lorna with some computer/photography issues.

Upon returning to the motorhome, we played a late bridge game with Al and Sharon. As has been the case the last several evenings, I came in last. The cards just have not been falling the right way.

The wind has abated, and the weather is spectacular, though a little bit chilly in the morning with temperatures in the low 50s.

The highlight of the day was a birding trip to Salaneno with Jerry and Karen Smith. Salome know is located on the Rio Grande River just south of Falcon Lake.  This is west and slightly north of us, about 45 miles. Last year, birding was spectacular as Salome know; bird feeding stations have been established in a clearing, and otherwise densely vegetated area, complete with chairs and places to stand with camera and tripod. However, new owners of the property became concerned about liability issues because the area is so close to the border, and closed it down. Now, feeding is done along the narrow path/trail near the Rio Grande River, on US Fish and Wildlife Service National Wildlife Refuge property. It is much more difficult to photograph birds in the new location, and they are not as plentiful. We were, however, able to see both the Altamira and Audubon Orioles (the Audubon Oriole was too elusive to photograph), as well as a number of other species (Long-billed Thrasher, Olive Sparrow are shown in the photographs) we had seen previously at other locations. On our return to BPVRV Resort, we spotted a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher on a power line adjacent to the highway, my first for the year. Birds of this species frequent Quarry Park just below Norfork Dam.

Tonight, we played our last bridge in the clubhouse for the season, but hopefully we’ll get in a game or two with Al and Sharon before we depart for home next week.

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We effectively begin our last week tomorrow, and are dragging our feet and making preparations to leave. This has been an incredibly great winter for us, but has gone by entirely too fast. We are immensely enjoying the weather, except for the wind; gusts of over 50 miles per hour occurred today. As a consequence, there was little outdoor activity, allowing us to slow down.  Jerry Smith dropped by late this afternoon and invited me to tag along with Karen and him to Salaneno for some birdwatching; specifically, we would target the Hooded Oriole, a bird I did not have on this year’s list, though the photo shows one we saw last year.

This being Monday, we did play Court Whist this evening. This is a game that I immensely enjoy, though. Kay much prefers bridge.

Another Sunday, another great sermon.  Pastor Duke preached the final sermon on his series on loving relationships.  We are going to miss this church and his sermons when we return home!

As is typical, we stopped for a breakfast sandwich at McDonald’s, and drove to Costco’s to see what new merchandise had arrived, and to pick up a few groceries, including a PFD for our young grandkids; we’re hoping for some lake time this summer.

Back at BPVRV Resort, we walked through the displays of crafts and art done this winter at the resort.  It is amazing the extent of talent that exists here, and it covers the full gambit. The second photo shows two retired mechanical engineers flying a simulator.  They built several of the radio controlled airplanes shown in the photo.  One asked me if I knew the difference between a mechanical engineer and a civil engineer (I’m a civil engineer).  When I replied in the negative, he said civil engineers build targets and mechanical engineers build weapons! The barrel racer cowgirl is a “puzzle” built from many intricate pieces of different kinds of wood.  There were many other crafters and artists just as good who did not display.

Lin, Tom, Karen, and Warren came by to finish their weekend in the RGV, and we all drove to the Riverside Club for music, dancing, and food; Al and Sharon Crawford from the resort joined us, and we had a ball on the banks of the Rio Grande River, though the music was not as good as it had been on previous visits.

By the time we were finished, Kay and I were wiped out; she watched the Academy Awards and I went to bed—early.

Today is our big BPVRV Resort BBQ and dance.  We had already left last year when the this event took place.

Our morning was kind of lazy, though Kay cleaned the RV while I regenerated the RV water softener.  The regeneration proved to be a debacle as I poured out the water softening media accidentally while trying to make room for the table salt, spending the next hour or so making amends and cleaning up the mess.

Kay walked over to the clubhouse grounds early to reserve a table in the shade, and we joined up with neighbors Al, Sharon, Wayne, Bessie, Chuck, and Sue (standing)  to enjoy the early afternoon activities.

Lin, Tom, Karen, and Warren arrived mid-afternoon, and after a brief visit, we all got BBQ brisket, baked beans, and potato salad, with all the trimmings.  The food was quite good. After allowing some time for digestion, we danced to the sounds of Roland Garcia, Jr. our favorite country western performer in the RGV.

After a full day, we said our goodbyes to Lin, Tom, Karen, and Warren shortly after 6:00 PM, and Kay and and I watched TV the rest of the evening.

After a quiet few days, yesterday began a whirlwind several days for us. Today we met Lin, Tom, Karen, and Warren for a trip to Progresso, Mexico. We enjoy going to Progresso, always buying a few things, including some meds, and having lunch. After a couple hours of shopping, we walked to Arturo’s for lunch, and had great Mexican food. As we were finishing our meal, Karen remarked that she had to dig out her passport; Kay and I looked at each other with dropped jaws, both realizing at the same time that we had forgotten our passports. After a short panic attack, we figured the worse case basis would be a severe lecture by customs agents, and a long wait while the others went to retrieve our passports.

We left the restaurant and picked up a few remaining items from the store across the street, and began the dreaded walk to the border. There are two lines for exiting Mexico to the US, one is a seemingly fast line outside and the other line is inside, both for those with passports. Assuming the worst, we got in the line for the inside check station, figuring we would be interrogated in an office.  The lines seemed to move faster than usual, and before we knew it we were at the guard station. Kay gave her drivers license to the agent and said, “We don’t have passports.” He exclaimed, “You don’t have passports!”  Realizing her faux pas, I quickly said we had passports but had forgotten them. He asked Kay for her birthday, punched in a few numbers and signaled for her to go on through. I gave him my drivers license and he again punched in some numbers and waved me through as well. I whispered to Kay to not say anything, and keep moving until we got into the public area. That may have been the fastest we’ve ever walked across the border. Anyway, all is well that ends well. We said our goodbyes, and drove to Costco for gasoline, while Lin, Tom, Karen, and Warren drove to their motel.

We arrived back at BPVRV Resort just in time for happy hour at which much discussion continued about the future of the resort.

Our Friday night entertainment was The Coins, Andy and Brenda.  While they traveled with country-western stars. Some time ago, they now split their time between Branson and the Rio Grande Valley. They were okay, but our poorest entertainers to date.

It’s Thursday, and that means it’s birding day. We convoyed the short distance to Anzalduas Park, about 7 miles from the resort. Anzalduas Park is ust upstream of an International Boundary Commission dam on the Rio Grande River. We ended with 55 species with the
best being great looks at the Peregrine Falcon, Wood Stork and Yellow-headed Parrot; the pair below were looking for a nesting site. 

Jerry and Karen Smith, our “bird club” leaders, announced that this was their last year at BPVRV Resort as they had bought a place in another resort in the RGV, but not too far away.  As full timers this will give them a place to store personal things during their spring, summer, and fall travels—a place to call home base.  We are very happy for them and though we will miss them in our resort, we look forward to spending many days afield in the future looking for birds.

The “big” Bentsen Palm Village RV Resort meeting began at 1:30 PM today, but the auditorium was full shortly after 1:00 PM.  Mike Rhodes, owner and CEO of the corporation that owns the resort opened the meeting, giving a brief bio and his vision for the Bentsen Palm development.  Richard Parker, whose management firm has been hired to manage operations, future development, and sales at Bentsen Palm properties provided an outline of their plans for the future.  Speculation among resort residents was that “super” sites, 31 in all, would be placed on the market for sale for about $25,000, with some shuffling of displaced renters.  Much to everyone’s surprise, ALL lots were listed for sale (except for some of the less desirable one which will be made available for marketing), with prices beginning at over $40,000, with some near $100,000 with attendant “condo” fees of just less than $200 per month.  Virtually everyone in attendance was in shock.  Needless to say, that was the topic of happy hour at the palapa, with much speculation about who would go, who would stay, etc.—certainly unsettling to say the least.  Kay and I will be formulating our plans for next winter in the coming days, after we look/inspect other RV parks in the area.

We returned dinner favors to Bessie and Wayne Nickerson from Nova Scotia who entertained us last week with fish cakes, beans, etc. Kay’s chicken enchiladas, refried beans, and Mexican rice were a real treat and quite tasty.  We have immensely enjoyed getting to know Bessie and Wayne this year, and look forward to next year with them even though they are moving to another resort up the road.  We, for sure, will take dancing lessons together.

Kay and I wrapped up the evening washing dishes, ending a very stressful day.